Malda, Oct. 25 -- Expressing deep concern over the worsening river erosion in Malda, Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Sunday warned that the Ganga and Fulhar rivers are separated by barely 750 metre in Ratua. If the rivers merge, vast areas, including English Bazar, could face severe flooding, with Railway tracks and highways also at risk which may result in a national calamity leaving North Bengal cut off. The comments came after Agarwal took an aerial stock of the river channels of Ganga, Fulhar and Kosi rivers and their deviations from the original channels.

Agarwal later held a meeting at the district administrative building with officials from the Irrigation departments of Jharkhand, Bihar, experts from Indian River Institute, IIT Kanpur and Roorki.

"The nearest distance between the Ganga and Fulhar is now only around 750 metre in Ratua. If they merge, Malda, Ratua and adjoining areas could be inundated causing serious trouble to rail tracks and highways which may cut off North Bengal," he said.

The Chief Secretary said a permanent solution to erosion was necessary, as directed by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. He added that the issue would be raised at a meeting of Ganga Flood Control Commission with the Union Minister in Delhi on October 27 where all the states having Ganga will be present. Funding, he said, was not the primary constraint, but coordination among Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand was essential though the required NOC from Jharkhand is yet to come.

Agarwal also added that the technical works have been classified into three parts.

"First we have to build 12 spars, 7 by Bihar and 5 by Bengal, in the mouth of the river in Bihar. The Commission has already given its observation and DPR to Bihar and we are to submit ours in next few months.

Secondly, dredging of a stretch of 16 kilometre in Sakrigali, Jharkhand is needed to divert Ganga to its original channel from which it has moved away by six kilometre.

This will result in 35 to 40 per cent of water flowing in that channel. Bhutni will have geo-synthetic embankments of the latest technology," he said.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.